Alexander g



A..C. TWlNlNGl Railway Signal and Alarm.

Patented April 7, 1868.

iiiiiii taten getarnt i ffice.

ALEXANDER G. TWINING, 0F NEW' HAVEN, CNNECTIGUT.

Letters Patent No. 76,559, dated Apriti?, 1868,

Inraovnn aanwas-'steunt 'aan Aman.

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Be it known that I, ALEXANDER C. TWINING, of the city of NcwHaven, county of NewHaven, and State of Connecticut, have invented a-new'and Improved Means of Preventing Accidents to Railroad-Trains, especially when .the continuity oftrack is broken by an opened draw-bridge or switch, and which I call The Switch and Dr-awLSent'ry, and4 I hereby declare that the following is a full'andexact description thereofh reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of a combinationof the locking-mechanism of a. railroad-draw or switch, or other opening, with a mechanism operated upon a locomotive-engine or the train, by a piece which I call the handle, and also with other mechanism, 'on or above the track, which I herein call by the name bars, vby which combination the unlocking of the draw or opening compels the bars into such position or condition, that while the unlocked oropensituation continues, and no longer, they can act upon the handle and makeit open a steam pipe to putthebrakes on automatically, or else to sound the whistle oralartn for braking up an advancing train. The locking-apparatus is to be constructed and `operated `after any sufficient and approvedplan ormanner; and so-is also whateverrec'haincal connection is employed between it and the steam-pipes, Ste. It is, immaterial whether the operating force through or by the bars is the same as for unlocking, or another'force brought intonction thereby', as, for example,electric currents along wires from that apparatus tothe bars, ceiling around and producingmagnetism to give action to the handle. y 4

The accompanying drawings show our illustrated arrangement by the figures marked ground-plan, on the left, and side View on the right. `v

The switch s s is, for convenience, represented on thevdraw-D D l), so that the track t t, t t will be broken if either the switch is open on the draw or is fixed to and opens with it. Z Z-stands for the mechanisnnof whati ever description,. which unlocks and locks the draw oropening. It may also servejfor the mechanism which opens the draw by its farther action, after it has unlocked it, and also restores the same to'place beforeit locks it. In the clase of a draw it would naturally be upon the draw itself, but in other case s,'uponthe track. The drawing shows it as arranged to work back and forward the tongue e, which vts and holds in an opposite slot of the draw, and-must be slipped back before the latter can be swung, drawn, or lifted, in the least. More-v over, the draw being higher all around the front than z, will block its returning ,or forward movement until the slot `for z is in place, or, in other words, the draw or opening closed. Also I have elsewhere described andclaimed, with reference to a'future patent, the fastening-of e, itself worked by the opening-and shutting of the draw, still farther to compel and vinsure a safe position under all circumstances, and without false alarms. The unlocking bentlever la r, when turned on a by Z Z, also works the rod 1' 7', r t', and by it the bent. lever u o b on o as its pivot. The latter plays the short vrod qu 7", and'with it as many other bent levers, gft', r o b', as may be desired. o' fr, r rund :c :vare only for keeping `the vworkingfpoints of ct rand 0 'n unaffected as to distance, by expansion. geg is a containing-pipe, for protecting the connecting-rods throughout, or as far as desired. The lever-armsy" d, o o b', are connected, (as'at z',) with the bars or pieces d d, b, b t', turning upon the fixed pivots, bl, b, ,`at the opposite ends. 'lhese bars may be aside the track or on it, or, probably still better, on a construction above or projeetingover, high enough for the locomotive to pass beneath. They-may work up and down, as c v, e c, if desiretl, but are shown in preference working laterally upon the surface of the ties, and coming a little above the rails t t, t t. Theyare parallel to the track, or outof working condition if the draw or opening is locked, but when that isnot locked, they are oblique,'or in ready condition to act upon the handle, either up and down, or, better, horizontally across, as m m, m m, in-the drawing. This last-named parto'f the combination is next to be described in connections and operation. i

The handle It' is simply a yielding vibratory or exible attachmentto the locomotive-engine or itsvacccm paniments, and is connected with and ,works the cock 7c, to open o r shut the steam-pipep or-p. When the engine-wheels w w', die., are passing the bars, t hits successively and slides. along the front or i'noline'of each,

and so is pushed toward t t', (see ground-plum) and, acting as a leve, it maybe, around the fulcrurh d, (see sidevievvg) or otherwseopens the steanbpassage through p orp, or both, to the whistle, or to the brakeeylinder c, or to other apparatus, as described below. Now the whistle will sound for an instant, tiil h comes free from b b, when the axis 21,' being here supposed a spring, bent by the 'thrust of h, will recoil and shut o f steam. Thus :is-many sudden shriekL7 of 'the .whistle will be repeated as there are bars; or the making and breaking contact of the handle with the inclins may be made to produce, as before mentioned, this effect by vsome other application or species of force, or by other.connecting-mechanism between the handle and the automatic apparatus.

In case the brakes are operated automatically by other apparatus than the steam-cylinder c, then letp c represent that apparatus, and Ac z the connections with the handlefh e, operating the Vbrake-apparatus by the sliding in contact with the inelines already described. But the engine passing away from an opening it has traversed, will avoid the bars on theother side; also, in backing, the handle passes behind the ends of the bars,

or if impinging, can, by a proper construction,` yield in a counter direction'to the foregoing, or otherwise be defended against any contact that shall produce alarmor stoppage of-the train;

Now-,that the handlemay be moved by, or may itself be an' oblique lever,lifted`or shoved byinterference with the bars, or that the several inclines Z Z, Z Z, oZ cZ, Ste., may been a single bar, as 'n o b, or moved laterally parallel to itself, say by twoof the levers; or that the bars',4 of whatever formation, may work horizontally -up anddown;v o1' that, if the brake-cylinderis employed, whether alone or with thefwlistle, it must have its own handle to remain where it is pushed by theincline, .but under the engineers control; orthat the handle itself should, under various modes of arrangement, be' flat and rin, lengthwise of the track, are matters, among.

others, too obvious tobe enlarged upon. V l What I claim in the above, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

In a-railroaddrawvor other opening, I elaim the` locking-npparatus, constructed and operating substantially as described, when connected with the described devices for actuating the brake, bell, or whistle, upon the engine of a moving train, all Vsubstantially as set forth. Y v

In'eombination'with the above, I claim 'also the handle 7L, connected and arranged as. described, to strike on the successive inclines, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Y i ALEXR. C. TWININ'G.'

4 Witnesses: i S. W.4 MAGILL,

ELIzA K. 'TWININQ 

